Joey Barton dismisses Nazi salute slurs as Newcastle United hero insists he was just celebrating a close shave

Newcastle United midfielder Joey Barton has become a friend of controversy. So when he celebrated a screaming goal against Aston Villa by launching one arm in the air and placing the other hand across his moustache, many observers were wondering what the gesture meant.

A flurry of comments swept the internet asking if this was Barton's impression of Basil Fawlty offending his German guests in a famous Fawlty Towers episode, but Barton insisted that anyone thinking there were Nazi overtones to his celebration had got completely the wrong end of the stick.

Don't mention the score: Barton salutes Newcastle's romp

The wayward 27-year-old was merely gesturing that his ridiculous moustache was about to be shaved off. Barton, along with team-mates, pledged not to shave until Newcastle claimed their first win of the season.

And the former Everton and Manchester City man made sure that was going to happen by scoring the first in a 6-0 rout of Villa at St James' Park.

Moving quickly to explain the gesture, he said: 'I was simply saying "the moustache is going".'